


In Which Sokka Basically Loses It

by 4NationsInHarmony



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Office, Jet got therapy, Multi, Office Sex, Open Marriage, POV Sokka (Avatar), Polyamory, Sokka has anxiety, Suki is an absolute bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:34:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21696265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4NationsInHarmony/pseuds/4NationsInHarmony
Summary: A smutty little one shot where Sokka overhears his boss Zuko and his husband Jet having sex in the office has turned into a real fic!
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 216





	1. Sokka Doesn’t Leave

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In Which Jet and Zuko are Married and Sokka Almost Loses It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11353314) by [windigop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/windigop/pseuds/windigop). 



> This is a sequel/alternate ending to Windigo’s fantastic modern Jetko “In Which Jet and Zuko are Married and Sokka Almost Loses It” so go read that first. This picks up before the very last scene.

> “That was it. Sokka didn’t even care if he was heard scrambling out of his chair and beelining towards his car. His brain could not handle anymore of this stranger with Zuko’s voice.”

He rose hunched from his chair, trying to gather his things as quietly as possible. But when he lifted his head to peer over the cubicle wall, he saw Zuko’s office door was wide open.

“Shit.” He cursed, under his breath. He could see his boss still sitting at his desk, with his husband standing behind him. Jet’s arms were wrapped around his chest and he was kissing a little trail from his ear to his collar. Sokka shook himself abruptly, trying to break the spell, and crashed his butt back into his seat. “There’s no way I can make it out of here without them both seeing me.” He lamented quietly, replacing his head on his desk and burying it in his arms.

_Come on, Sokka_ , he thought, trying to keep his vocal self talk to a minimum. _You’re the Plans Guy, you can figure a way out of here. Maybe if I put everything in my messenger bag I can army crawl between these two rows of cubes and scale the filing cabinets on the other side. Then I could totally -_

His attention snapped back to the present when he heard Zuko’s voice raise its volume. “No. Not here. Let’s just go to the restaurant.” 

“Aww come on Zuzu, it’ll be fun.”

“I told you to not to call me that!”

Jet’s playful voice took on a firmer texture: “Listen, you may be the boss when your employees are around, but we both know who’s the boss when it’s just you and me.” Sokka could hear his boss’s desk creak as his plush rolly chair scooted across the plastic carpet protector. Zuko grumbled something but was cut off by messy kissing sounds.

_Shit shit shit! Maybe I can leave while they’re, um, distracted._ Sokka thought, taking another tiny peek over the short wall. 

Jet was in Zuko’s lap now, his denim-clad legs straddling the businessman’s waist. They were kissing aggressively and for all his hesitation, Sokka noticed that his boss seemed super into it. The husband’s hands pawed Zuko’s chest, before he reached behind under his suit jacket, to pull the other man toward him. Jet embraced him as he moved to whisper something into his birthmarked ear.

“Ughh, what do you want from me?” Zuko whined, as he turned his face toward the open door. Sokka dropped his head as fast as he could, hoping against hope that his boss’s eyes had still been closed.

Jet barked a deep laugh and Sokka could picture his sly grin from a week before. _No. You keep your butt in your chair,_ he reprimanded himself, _there is nothing more for you to see over there. Just keep your head down until it’s over. I’m sure they’ll leave for their date any minute. Then you’ll be free._ He glanced down at his own hands to see them grasping the chair’s arm rests, white-knuckled, trying to keep him seated with physical force, since, at that moment, he really didn’t trust his will power.

With his head down but his ears tuned all the way into the action happening in the corner office, he heard fabric rustling. 

“You really want to do this right now?” Zuko asked, incredulously.

“No babe, YOU really wanna do this right now. I can feel how tense you are. Relax. Let me make it better.” Jet crooned the last part. Sokka imagined all their clothes falling to the floor. 

After a minute of near silence (that felt much, much longer), he heard Zuko whine again. “Relax,” he might’ve heard Jet whisper. _Relax_ , he thought, not sure if he was encouraging himself or his boss. The businessman whined again, crying out a bit louder this time, as his husband grunted. _Oh my god, they’re doing it! Doing IT! Right here in the office!_ The grunts and whines picked up the pace. 

“That’s it. That’s right. Feels good, huh boss? You like getting fucked at your desk like this? Think you can keep typing with my cock in your ass?” Jet rattled off the dirty talk like he was born for it. In reality, Sokka suspected, he’d just had a lot of practice perfecting the art.

“Shut up!” Zuko shouted. Jet cackled and kept right on pounding, albeit without the narrative.

Sokka figured the two older men were sufficiently focused on themselves when he chanced another look through the open door. Jet had Zuko bent at the waist, arms and chest pressing into his desk as the darker man gripped his hips and railed him from behind. Sokka found himself disappointed that they were both still clothed from the waist up and wished they were facing away from him so he could stare more comfortably at Jet’s bare ass. 

Sokka was settling back into his chair, considering taking his own dick out, when he froze.

“Sokka.” 

It was Zuko. Had he seen him?! There’s no way he could actually be addressing his subordinate with that deep lusty voice.

“What?” 

It was Jet. _Oh my god oh my god oh my god. What the fuck is happening? This is literally my life right now._ Sokka panicked. His dick wasn’t sure whether to deflate or burst.

“What did you say?” Jet asked again, slowing his movements to a near stop.

“Nothing, nothing, I’m sorry, keep going.” Zuko prattled on, clearly flustered. 

“No, I mean, I just thought I heard you say something.” Jet replied, a vindictive tone coloring his teasing words. “Say it again.”

“It’s nothing, ok?! It’s just, I’m at work and I’ve got my mind on work things.” Zuko insisted, “what the hell are you stopping for?”

“I said,” Jet breathed out, “say it again.”

Sokka was dying. He really was. His dick had decided which way it wanted to go in this matter and his boner was raging beneath the thin fabric of his slacks. But the rest of him was paralyzed. Had his boss - his grumpy, humorless, bossy boss - just uttered his name while getting buttfucked by his life partner? It was quite clear he had.

“I’m not saying anything. Just please... please. I need to finish.” Sokka imagined Zuko grinding his rear back into his partner’s crotch. Imagined in his mind’s eye, Zuko reaching under the desk and grabbing his own dick, desperate for release.

“Get your hands off your cock. You’ll finish. Call me by his name. Come on,” Jet encouraged mischievously. He started to move again, just little dips in and out of the businessman’s hole. “Tell me what you want Sokka to do to you.”

“Oh, uh, Sokka,” Zuko started quietly, “um, fuck me. Please.” 

Sokka somehow started breathing again as he palmed his dick over his pants. It was too much, too easy to imagine Zuko was really talking to him. _How is this_ _even real?_ He asked himself. _You hardly even like the guy; why is this so unbelievably hot?_

“That’s it.” Jet replied, “how do you want Sokka to do it? Hard like this?” The talking paused for a second as Zuko gasped. “Or soft, like this?” And Zuko sighed.

“Harder. Please, Sokka, fuck me harder. Make me cum on my desk. I need to fucking come! Just... Sokka, can you jerk me off?” Zuko sounded like he knew he was asking for a lot, but Jet seemed happy enough to play along.

“Sure thing, boss,” Jet sounded a little short of breath, “but I don’t really know how.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. Jet was really giving this idiot employee role his all, wasn’t he? _Whatever_ , he reached into his pants without a second thought, _I’ll show you how to jerk off, you jerks._ He groaned inwardly at just how poor his dirty talk was and made a mental note to improve on that before he put the moves on Suki. 

“Just like, put your hand here, hold on, no under the... uh... under the head of... yeah. Now, like stroke... a little tighter. Ah, YEAH!” Zuko was struggling to get his words out and Sokka was sure he could hear Jet snicker as he presumably pumped his fist in time with his hips. But the prized employee dutifully followed his boss’s instructions till he was stroking himself in time with the thumping noises coming from the other room.

The talk between the partners quickly morphed into an indiscernible cacophony of grunts and moans. Sokka did his best to stay silent, biting his tongue till he tasted blood. But when the two other men cried out a final time, Sokka let himself moan once, ejaculating on his own desk and imagining it was Zuko.

Flustered, he shoved his half hard dick back in his pants and scanned his cubicle for something to clean up the mess. He heard rummaging from the corner office and wondered fo a second, _maybe I should just walk in there and ask if they have any tissues._ His face went blank, shocked by his own joke, then broke out in a grin as he fished some napkins out of his waste paper bin.

“So boss, are you ready for dinner?” Jet asked, playfully. 

“You’re a real asshole, you know that?” Zuko spat, though Sokka could hear the grin in his voice.

“You love it.” Jet insisted. “Now where’s the fucking bathroom.”

Sokka counted all his lucky stars, and would have been happy to count all the stars ever, just to know that the men’s room was in the opposite direction from his cube, past the front doors. As the two husbands walked down the hall, Sokka gathered his things. 

“Now we’re really gonna be late for our reservation.” Zuko lamented, as Sokka silently slipped out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Jetko, first ATLA, first AO3 fic ever! Would like to continue if anyone wants to keep reading ;)


	2. Sokka Talks With His Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like I’m expanding on this story a bit! I really want to flesh out the other characters and relationships that Windigop wrote. Aiming for a Jetkokka outcome ;) Posting it as a WIP for now.

Sokka raced out of the building and almost tripped over his own feet as he sprinted to his old Honda. He slammed in the Savage Garden CD he always chose to get him through any sexual crisis. He turned it up as he tore out of the parking lot. His mind was racing. _Did that really just happen? What the FUCK? What am I supposed to do now?!_ He took some deep breaths like his sister had shown him and tried to focus on getting through the rush hour traffic.

Finally, he made it home to his apartment. When the door closed, he rested back on it, letting his bag fall from his shoulder as his knees buckled and he slid to the floor. _Too much, it’s all just a little too much._ Sokka was dying to talk to someone. His roommate Teo was already out for the night at some benefit for disabled veterans. Sighing, he took out his phone to text... who? Toph? Ty Lee? The more he thought about it, the less he wanted to explain what happened to anyone at the office. He’d like to think it was out of respect for Zuko’s privacy, but if he was honest, he knew he was embarrassed that he stayed. And he was confused by his feelings in the wake of it. 

Suddenly, the phone in his hand rang. He jumped up, flailing his arms and accidentally threw the device across the room. Scrambling to get it, he saw the picture of his sister from their last skiing trip and managed to answer before the voicemail picked up.

“Katara!” he shouted, breathless. _Of course I should have called Katara_ , he thought, facepalming. 

“Sokka! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She asked with genuine surprise. “Or... have I caught you at a bad time?” 

“No, your timing is perfect, really.” He considered. 

“Well, what’s going on? How are you?”

“I’m, a little messed up, actually. Had a pretty weird day at work.” He offered, hesitatingly.

“Aw, brother, tell me all about it.”

That’s the thing about Katara - even though she was always busy with work and traveling, she never neglected her brother. Their friendship had always been something very special.

So he told her. He told her how stressed he’d been at work with his boss being so hard on him, but how things had seemed to be improving the last couple of weeks, like the businessman was starting to lighten up. He mentioned carefully how his husband had been visiting the office more and how that really seemed to humanize the older man. Then he took a big breath and quickly spilled the basics about what happened earlier that evening. (He left out the part about how he um, _assisted_ himself through the well, _stimulating_ situation. But he could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she guessed anyway.)

“Wow,” she replied, “that’s... a lot. What’s your plan?”

“I don’t know yet. I don’t want to talk about it with anyone at work. Honestly, there isn’t really anything to DO about it, other than just try not to think about it every time I see my frickin boss. Argh.” He rubbed his eyes.

“Ok, well that’s good. It would probably really embarrass him if he had any idea you knew. You don’t want to make him hate you just when things are starting to turn around.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Good point.”

“Anyway, the reason I was calling is to invite you over for dinner this weekend. Dad and Bato are coming and I want you guys to meet my boyfriend.”

“Oh nice! I was wondering when you’d be ready for that!”

“Well we’ve been together for a while, but it’s only been official for like a month. I just, I wanted to do it now because, well you know I’m going away next week?”

“Yeah, for that Doctors Without Boarders trip, right?”

“Exactly. Well, I’ll be traveling for a couple of months, but after that, if everything’s still working out... I think he’s gonna move in with me.”

“That’s amazing, Katara! He sounds like a helluva dude. I can’t wait to meet him!”

“Wonderful! Come to my house Saturday at 5. It’ll be fun.”

~*~

  
This is where you can go back to the original story and read the last scene. The next day was Friday. At lunch, Sokka told his coworkers that he heard Jet and Zuko flirting and kissing and then he went home - conveniently leaving out all the sex. Later that afternoon, Sokka invited their boss out to happy hour with the rest of the Ga(a)ng, and Zuko accepted.


	3. Sokka Goes to Happy Hour

Sokka was the only one at the bar when Zuko arrived, prompt as ever. He’d been planning to wait till everyone got there to order, but as soon as he saw his boss darken the door, he waved the bartender over and asked for a chocolate milkshake and a double shot of vodka from the well. 

Zuko walked over to the bar like he’d forgotten to take out the stick he usually kept in his ass. He sat down next to Sokka without a word as the younger man downed his shot and waited for the rest of his order. As soon as the milkshake appeared, a laugh escaped Zuko, like a balloon popping. So surprising was it that he immediately clamped his hand over his own mouth. His eyes were still smiling though, which caused Sokka to grin stupidly and whine, “whaaat?”

Zuko shook his head with something that could almost be mistaken for affection, and ordered a martini. Just then Toph and Aang burst through the door. 

“Sorry we’re late; Twinkle Toes here drives like he’s blind!” Toph shouted, to the horror of the other few patrons. Sokka saw Zuko’s eyes widen, and noticed for the first time that his left eye didn’t open quite as much as his right. _Maybe it’s from the birthmark_ , he speculated. Aang hardly had any time to protest before Ty Lee and Suki tumbled in arm-in-arm, giggling. 

Sokka jumped up. “What took you guys so long?!” he demanded of Ty Lee. He was feeling super tense and the alcohol hadn’t hit his blood yet. _Maybe I shouldn’t have invited Zuko. This is stupid. He’s going to hate us even more now! Argh. Why does he even want to be here? Why do I want him here?_

“Chill, babe,” Suki replied. _Well that’s_ _new_... “We were just having a little girly chat in the parking lot.” Ty Lee kept giggling. Zuko looked embarrassed as he received his martini.

The group made their way over to a big booth in the corner. Aang challenged Ty Lee to darts (she had somehow regained a semblance of self control as she sipped her pink cosmo) and they walked to the back while he explained the rules the way his Uncle Gyatso taught him. As soon as they were gone, Toph asked Suki to accompany her to the restroom and Sokka swore he could detect a familiar herbal scent as his crush breezed by. _No fair! Don’t leave me with HIM! I want to come smoke too._ He complained to himself. He looked up from his milkshake to see Zuko watching him carefully from across the table.

“Are you... pouting?” the older man asked. Sokka, startled by the inquiry, quickly schooled his expression into a more upbeat grin. 

“So, welcome to happy hour! They say it’s a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but it’s really only like 15 minutes if you grab an Uber.” He shrugged. Zuko stared at him blankly. “Anyway! What made you decide to come out with us tonight?” 

“Well, my usual plans, got... rescheduled.” 

“And what are those ‘usual plans’?” Sokka pried, tilting his cup to try to suck the last bits of milk up his straw. Zuko cringed at the sound as Sokka flagged a server down for another shot. 

Zuko sighed. “Jet and I go out on Fridays. To a place a whole lot nicer than this. But he has a... gig tonight so we had our date last night and I... wait, why am I telling you this? It’s none of your business.” He finished flatly. And in an instant, the friendly spirit that seemed to have snatched the body of the constipated workaholic left the conversation.

The women came back from the bathroom and Sokka scooted over, gesturing for Suki to sit next to him. He made to put his arm around her, but half way to her waist he drew back. Toph plopped herself down in the booth next to Zuko with some apparently magical sense of bodily awareness. 

“Well Zuko, are you regaling the children here with tales of our younger days?”

“Toph,” Zuko warned, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose, “don’t make me regret coming out tonight.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t DREAM of it,” she cooed, “I know you can do a perfect job of that on your own.”

Matching bursts of air rushed out of the younger couple’s noses.

Turning toward them, the attorney continued, “did you kids know Zuko and I went to college together?”

“What?!” Sokka squeaked. He‘d had a feeling that those two knew each other outside of work but his friend had always refused to spill the beans up until this very moment. “I thought you were like five years younger than him.” he said, as if Zuko himself was not there at all. 

“I am; but I’m also very smart.” She boasted, laughing. 

By then, Aang and Ty Lee were returning from darts and the conversation switched to what they were all going to order for food, much to Zuko’s relief. Aang was agonizing over the truffle fries, wondering aloud if mushrooms were actually sentient and therefore not permitted in a vegan diet. Suki teased him “are you sure you didn’t pregame before you got here?” The server came over to bring Sokka his drink, and stayed to take the party’s order. Just as they were finished ordering, the front door burst open. They all turned toward the sound when who should rush in but Jet.

“Jet?!” Zuko shouted as he jumped to his feet, banging both knees on the underside of the table. The darker man quickly caught his bearings and confidently sauntered over to the booth. 

“Hey, darling,” he crooned, leaning all the way across the table to kiss his husband squarely on the lips. “Hey there, Sokka,” he turned to the boy with a saccharin half smile that caused Sokka’s heart to skip a beat. 

He could feel himself blushing brutally as he averted his eyes. “Oh, hi Jet,” he mumbled. Suki looked at him with a questioning gaze and put her own arm around his waist. 

“I thought you were... working, tonight” Zuko asked quietly as Toph surrendered her seat to the handsome newcomer. 

“Things got moved around and I was in the area and remembered you said you’d be here.” Jet responded, tossing his hair. “You know how it is.”

_No_ , Sokka thought, _we don’t know how it is. We don’t know anything about you! Why do you stalk in here like a predator when we’re just trying to have a nice evening? Why does your piercing gaze make me feel like you can read my every thought, like it’s written on my face? Can you hear me?!_

Jet looked across the table and grinned. “So, what have you guys been up to?” He asked, to no one in particular. Sokka blushed again. 

“Excuse me,” said Sokka, “I’m going to find the bathroom.” He squeezed out of the booth and Suki watched him as he stopped by the bar on his way to the toilets. He took another shot of vodka before he disappeared down the hall. After a minute, she got up to follow him.

When Sokka emerged from the bathroom, Suki was waiting for him, arms crossed and shoulders leaning back against the wall. She had one knee bent and her foot casually tucked behind her. Sokka almost tripped over himself as he stopped short in front of her.

“It’s all yours,” he mumbled hanging his head.

“I wasn’t waiting for the toilet.” She responded, tilting her head to look up at his face. “Whats going on with you tonight?”

“Nothing,” he hesitated. “I’m just not sure I should have invited Zuko.”

“Aw, you’ve been trying to get him to come out with us for MONTHS!” She reminded him, “I thought you’d be thrilled he finally accepted the invitation.”

“I know, exactly, right? But it just feels weird now, like seeing him as a...” he waved his hand in the air like he was hoping to snag the right word in his fingers, “whole... person. ...Especially with Jet. That guy is so weird.” He finished like he was talking to himself.

“Sokka,” Suki asked slowly, “are you jealous of Jet?”

“What?!” He sputtered, “what do you mean? Of course not! No.”

“Well, when Ty Lee told me you were interested in someone from work, I was hoping it was me. But now I think you have a crush on Zuko.”

His mouth was hanging open. “But, but I DO have a crush on you!” He insisted. _And how dare Ty Lee! Also I have to remember to thank her._ He added, in the privacy of his own head.

In an instant, they were kissing. Sokka was pretty sure he had been the one to close the space between them but none of that mattered now, he was finally kissing Suki! He eased into it and could feel her returning the kiss confidently. When they parted, he felt much more relaxed, much more centered.

“Thank you,” he said, internally chastising himself for such an awkward choice of words. “Thank you for following me here and for checking up on me. I do really like you. I don't know what’s gotten into me today.”

“Aw, babe, it’s ok. I like you too. Now let’s go get you some water. You taste like moonshine.” 

As they walked back to their friends, hand in hand, they heard Ty Lee squee and Toph give a whoop, while Aang handed over what appeared to be a handful of balled up bills to each of them. Sokka felt like everything was coming together for him. 


	4. Sokka Meets the Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to have a lot more angst, but I just want all my babies to be happy!

By Saturday afternoon, Sokka had recovered from his hangover and was in a great mood. He arrived at Katara’s a few minutes before 5 and sat in his car smiling as the song on the radio ended. His sister’s house was a little blue Cape Cod with a gray front door. She’d bought it with her share of their mother’s life insurance policy, which Hakoda had passed on to her when she graduated college. Sokka was keeping his in mutual funds till he felt mature enough to make responsible use if it. Plus, his salary could barely pay his half of the rent, much less all the expenses associated with home ownership. Leave it to Katara to preserve the family heirlooms and holiday traditions, while Hakoda and Bato spent most of the year ferrying researchers and tourists from Australia to Antarctica.

He entered the house without knocking and Katara rushed to hug him at the door. The older men were already resting on the couch but as soon as his sister released him, Hakoda was there to clasp him by the arm and pull him in for a deep embrace. Immediately thereafter, Bato did the same. _God, it’s good to be with family._

The first thing out of his mouth was: “Katara, what is that *amazing* smell?”

“Oh! I’m making roast duck; it’s Grangran’s old reci-“

“Not that! I remember what Grangran’s roast duck smells like, thankyouverymuch.” He took a deep breath in through his nose, “that OTHER amazing smell.”

“Well, my um, boyfriend is making fruit pies! Sweetie! Come on out of the kitchen - Sokka’s here!”

A moment passed before Aang appeared in the doorway, looking sheepish.

Sokka did a double take and Aang could’ve swore he saw his coworker’s eyes bulge out of his head. His family members froze in the obvious tension until Sokka erupted with laughter, throwing himself backward into the couch, holding his belly.

“What... do you two, know each other?” Hakoda looked back and forth between the boys, unsure of whom to direct the question to.

Aang lifted a hand to rub his neck, failing to meet anyone’s gaze. “Yeah, uh, we kinda work together?” It squeaked out like a question.

“Ohmygosh,” Sokka tried regaining his breath, “you little dweeb! You knew the whole time, didn’t you? What is WRONG with you?” He almost-shouted, still laughing.

“I don’t know,” Aang admitted, brightening, “I just, I wasn’t totally sure and it never really came up in conversation.”

“Bullshit! We have literally talked about how your ‘girlfriend’” (Sokka made air quotes with his fingers) “and my SISTER were both doctors at least twice to my recollection. I believe your response was ‘small world’?” Sokka reclined back on the couch with his arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow lifted.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Aang raised his hands in surrender. “I should have said something. Can I make it up to you with your very own pie?”

“Yes, I believe that will suffice. You are forgiven!” And Sokka’s grabbed him in a hug. “Welcome to the family, weirdo.”

~•~

After dinner, Sokka’s jovial mood began to disintegrate into anxiety. They’d been chatting about OmashuCo and the work environment there and as the conversation shifted to Aang’s applications to law school, one niggling worry kept poking at Sokka.

Katara started clearing the table and for maybe the first time in his life, he jumped up to help her.

“Why don’t you gentlemen continue getting to know each other in the living room? I’ll help ‘Tara get ready for dessert.” He ushered Bato, Hakoda, and Aang through the doorway.

When he turned back to the kitchen, Katara was leaning against the sink, arms crossed and frowning. “Somethings wrong.” She stared plainly, with a hint of understanding in her eye.

Sokka wrung his hands, knowing what he needed to ask but unsure how to broach the topic. “Did you know,” he started, “that Aang was interning at Omashu?”

“Honestly,” she sighed, “I didn’t. But I probably could have guessed. He never really talks about work much - more about school, or the retreat center where he lives, or the pet shelter where he volunteers. He’s always asking me about my work... I should have wondered if he was avoiding something.” She looked down at the floor, noticeably torn about how to feel.

“Nah, I don’t think it’s like that. I mean, he seems like a pretty straight forward guy.” He moved to the table to collect the dishes. “I’m not looking to make you question your whole relationship or anything.”

“Thanks, Sokka. Maybe he was worried you’d like, be over protective of me or something?” She guessed, knowing full well that her brother was her biggest fan and though he’d protect her from all harm, he’d never keep her from love.

“Yeah, that’s stupid, but I can understand he’d be scared - I am very intimidating!” He puffed his chest out, rattling the plates, and put them down quickly to recover his balance. Katara chuckled, as she started washing the dishes.

Sokka took a breath. “Okay, there is one other thing,” He cast his glance up towards the corner of the ceiling, hand held out like he was idly considering some hypothetical curiosity. “Did you happen to tell him anything about what we talked about last week?”

“No!” She shouted, accidentally splashing some water out of the sink. “Of course not. You said you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Oh, thank God!” As he crashed down into a chair.

“And like, how would that even come up in conversation?! Gross.” His little sister cringed.

“I don’t know!” He wailed in relief. “Oh! Did I tell you I kissed Suki?”


	5. Sokka Stays Late at Work

By the time Sokka and Suki had been going out for a few weeks, they had fallen into a pretty easy routine. Things hadn’t changed much at work, where they continued to flirt and their coworkers continued to tease them for it. (Though Sokka noticed flirting was a lot more comfortable when you knew for sure that the other person was flirting back with you.) The summer was winding down and Aang’s internship had ended. Katara was abroad, and so were Hakoda and Bato. Naturally, the new couple spent most of their free time getting to know each other better. 

So it wasn't out of the ordinary that Suki was hanging out on the old couch in the staff room, scrolling her phone one evening, waiting for Sokka to finish his work. Still, it was well after six when he rushed in, all apologies for failing to notice the time.

“Babe, it’s fine - I was just catching up on my social media.” She reached up to take her boyfriend by the front of his indigo polo and pull him down into a welcomed kiss. Her lips were soft as he closed his eyes, and they lingered on his till he forgot where they were. 

“Mmm, I could go for some more of that.” Sokka replied, when his mouth was free. 

Suki put her phone into her bag with a giggle, and stood to leave the small room. But her coworker wasn’t ready to go yet. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down into the squishy cushions, slowly sitting down very close to her. Her face was flushing as she met his eyes. Sokka knew everyone else had left the office but Zuko, who was typing furiously in his own office, far down the hall. He moved mindfully, intent on making this a memory, and reached up to caress her cheek. _I can’t believe we’re finally together! This beautiful wonderful girl really likes me!_ He smiled and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. Their lips met and Sokka felt the stress of the day melt away from him. His shoulders dropped as his frame relaxed, his weight settling into the couch, their thighs pressing firmly against each other. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, making out quietly, Sokka doing his best to stay fully present in the moment while simultaneously keeping an ear out for any movement in the hall. But then Suki’s hands were tugging his shirt from his slacks and snaking her cool fingers across the skin of his back, sending chills down his spine. Their kissing intensified in response and Sokka’s mind flashed to a similar scene in his bed a few nights earlier. Without thinking, he maneuvered over her, growing desperate to touch her the way she was touching him. His tongue was in her mouth as he untucked her blouse. 

“Oh, come ON.” The employees on the couch froze in terror. Ever so slowly, his head twisting in tiny increments, Sokka turned around. Peeking through squinty eyes, he saw his boss standing in the doorway. He was wearing black pants with a fitted maroon shirt and a charcoal blazer. _Damnit, he’s a fucking ninja. That’s how he snuck up on us without me noticing._

Zuko was pulling his hands down his face like he was trying to wipe away the image of the two of them hooking up from his eyes. He looked exhausted. 

Belatedly, Sokka realized Suki was trying to straighten her clothes, so he removed his hands from under her shirt. _Ok, just play it cool. Be casual. He doesn’t want to make a Big Deal of this any more than you do._ He winced. _Who am I kidding? This is not a time for misplaced optimism. But what other choice do I have?_

“Um, hey Zuko, did you need something?” Sokka got up, taking his girlfriend’s hand to tug her towards the door. 

“We were just heading out.” Suki added with a forced smile and a wave.

“Actually, *I* was heading out, but it looks like I’m not done *babysitting*.” He answered with disdain. “Suki, I think you should go home. Sokka, go wait in my office. I need a cup of tea.” 

Zuko made his way to the kettle while his subordinates slinked out the door.

“Aww, SHIT.” Sokka whisper-shouted once he was a ways down the hall. He leaned back, hitting his head against the wall only slightly harder than he’d intended.

“I’m so sorry.” Suki whispered, “I’m... I’m sure it’s gonna be okay.” His face was still aiming at the ceiling but he could tell without looking at her that she wasn’t convinced by her own positivity.

“It’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine.” He willed his voice and his hands to be still. “You should get out of here. I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Yeah; I’ll see you later?” she suggested hopefully.

“Before you try to get a piece of this, let’s just see how many pieces I leave in.” _Ugh, terrible_. “I’m sorry. Yeah, I’ll call you.” He repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. 

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and bolted to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can some GenZ’er please tell me what Suki was doing on her phone? TikToking? I’m at the point where I learn about what 20somethings are doing on NPR.


	6. Sokka Talks With Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Talks” is a euphemism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zukka FINALLY

Sokka cautiously entered Zuko’s office, looking around before he tentatively sat down in the only other seat besides the boss’s throne of an office chair. He’d never been in there alone before. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed there were literally zero personal touches in the room. No photos, no art, no decorations at all. It was all black glass and gun metal and deep red mahogany. He considered that, for all the time they’d been working together, Sokka didn’t really know anything about the enigma of a man.

He thought back over the last month or so and reflected on how it had started to seem like Zuko was warming up to the rest of the OmashuCo staff. He’d joined them at happy hour a few times over the summer and he really seemed to be taking measures to shed the Demon Boss vibe he had going. Sokka wondered absently if Jet had a hand in that. _Oops, that was not a helpful thought._

His mind slipped back to that summer evening, before he got with Suki, before he knew Aang was dating his sister, before he learned his dreams about his boss could be filled with anything other than anxiety. Thinking of Jet here, in this office, after hours, and what he had heard Zuko say...

“Hypocrite!” He muttered, under his breath. Looking down at his lap, he wasn’t sure if the partial erection he found there was on its way down after making out with Suki, or on its way up before being alone with Zuko. 

_Speak of the devil_. Zuko entered the room, a mug of tea steaming in his hands. Sokka half glared at his back as he walked to his chair. His worry built as his boss slowly sat down, sighing.

“Look,” Zuko took a breath, reaching into his hair to massage his temples. “I can’t control who my employees date, but I can ensure we all have a safe work environment and that excludes sexual harassment and public displays of affection.” Zuko explained.

“Seriously?! Those two things are not even remotely the same.” Sokka huffed, crossing his arms and sitting back, a skeptical expression on his face. 

“This is serious!” His boss insisted, sounding defensive and perhaps a little embarrassed to have to be policing the sex life of two consenting adults. 

“Is it though? Are you sure?” Sokka looked up, daring his boss to meet his eyes. “Zuko, are you sure you’re not _projecting_?”

“Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?!” Zuko was looking straight at him, struggling to keep his tone low, trying his hardest not to shout. “Don’t you know I could fire you right this minute for your poor judgment, not to mention your insubordination!”

“My poor judgment?!” Sokka was angry, if his job was already on the line, he figured he didn’t have much else to lose. His blood was rushing through his veins and pounding in his ears. He paused, making sure he could match the older man’s tone. “I’m just saying, I’m not the one who was _having sex in the office_ without even checking to _make sure it was empty_!”

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit. I did not mean to show all my cards like that. He’s definitely gonna fire me now. And I guess I deserve it. What kind of asshole says something like that?!_

Ugh. Sokka resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. He clenched his jaw and maintained his gaze as his boss’s expression flashed through a variety of emotions. A moment passed before Zuko responded. Glancing down, he replied calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ugh!” Sokka threw his head back and some of the tension flowed out of his body. Clearly he had the upper hand here, and he was not gonna let it go that easily. 

“Dude! I was there. I know what I saw.” And turning to face him again, he added with a smirk, “and what I heard.”

Zuko’s countenance dropped. “What do you want from me?” And Sokka was flashed back to the last time he heard those words in that voice and a shudder went through him. 

Sokka needed a moment. Deep breath. He could feel his dick stiffening. _I could’ve been home with Suki, but you wanted to mess with me? How the tables have turned, my good man. Mwahahaha._

“I think the question is: what do YOU want from ME?” Sokka was simultaneously horrified and exhilarated by what he heard himself say. _Did I really just ask that out loud? Oh gods, I’m in so much trouble._

And for a second their eyes met. _Well, we’re here now, might as just well go for it._

“Okay, listen.” He started matter-of-factory. “I’ve got a bit of a hard on right now. (Don’t flatter yourself. It’s mostly from Suki.) And well, it seems like, from what I understand, you may not absolutely hate helping me out with that. So, since it’s kinda your fault that I’m not home right now taking care of this properly, here’s the plan: you get me off and I’ll let YOU off the hook for bringing your husband in here to ravish you on the clock.”

Zuko was nearly sputtering. “No! Now you listen here you little shit!” Correction, Zuko was fully sputtering. ”I don’t know what the hell you heard that made you think you could go around fucking BLACKMAILING me but that is NOT how this is going to work. Goddamnit! I would’ve sucked your dick a dozen times if you were, just, like, POLITE about it.” Thank gods there was no one in the office ‘cause Zuko was outright yelling now.

“Woah woah woah,” Sokka put his hands up in surrender. “Dude, you’re right. I was totally out of line. I’m sorry.” He chanced a glance across the desk. Zuko’s breath was still haggard. “It’s just, I’m angry and embarrassed and horny and confused and then you go threatening my JOB...” His hands were gesturing emptily and he didn’t know how to finish that thought. “and I’ve been dreaming about fucking you for weeks and I have literally no idea how to make that happen and this was the best my monkey brain could come up with on short notice. I’m really sorry.” He ended quietly.

“Ok fine, so new plan.” Zuko’s breath was coming back under control, though there was now something more than anger that had his pulse quickening. “You want me to help you with your... situation? Well, it would seem that I have a similar issue arising. I may have an idea that can solve our mutual problem,” he lifted his gaze with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “ _completely_.”

Sokka was listening very intently. “I’m listening.”

“Obviously, either of us would be pretty definitely out of a job if word got to the higher-ups so, I’m assuming if we are um, equally complicit, we can both rest assured as to the other’s discretion.” Zuko paused, as if looking for confirmation it was alright to proceed.

“Agreed.” The younger man grinned. He was fully aware that his boss had much more at risk: his job had a lot more clout, and a lot more pay. Plus, his transgression was far more severe. He didn’t think he’d actually get fired for kissing his girlfriend in the break room, unless Zuko tried to frame it as a harassment thing, but he didn’t strike Sokka as capable of such dishonesty. Even still, he could not pretend to himself that he wasn’t interested in whatever the older man was about to suggest.

Some of Zuko’s apparent confidence was beginning to wane. “Alright, well I don’t exactly have a clear picture of how this plays out, but what if we just, you know, mess around, like, till we both get off. And then just like, never talk about it again?” 

Sokka’s boldness stepped in to fill the gap. “I am totally into the first part, but I can’t promise I’m going to be able to look at you the same way after.” he was trying to suppress the goofy smile that was forming so recklessly on his face when he realized how that could’ve sounded. “I mean, like I’m probably gonna look at you way better! Ok, I’m gonna shut up now...”

Zuko rolled his eyes, but in a second he was up walking across the room to shut the door. Sokka’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of it locking. “Glad to see you’re learning from your mistakes,” he teased, quietly. 

Zuko rolled his eyes again. “Can I kiss you?” He mumbled, without leaving his spot. 

“What’s that, boss? I couldn’t hear you.” Sokka was smiling wide as he rose from his chair and approached his bashful superior. 

“Can I -“ he flushed as he tried again, but Sokka’s lips were on his own, stealing his words away. Zuko’s mind settled immediately, while Sokka’s (inconveniently) woke up. _Well, we’re just going for a bunch of firsts today, aren’t we? First time kissing your boss. First time kissing two different people in one day. First time kissing a man, well, since college but those were all boys._ He came back into his body though, as Zuko’s tongue hesitatingly sought entrance into his mouth. 

Sokka relented eagerly, a moan slipping out as his partner’s tongue slipped in. Zuko was a really good kisser. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, and Sokka sent a silent thank you to Jet for what was apparently years of training. Zuko had his hands on Sokka’s chest when, seeming to remember his superior status in this hook up, he deftly turned his employee so the younger man’s back was against the door. The kiss continued to pick up intensity, warm and wet and constantly moving, Sokka’s tongue explored every secret space in his boss’s hot mouth. His hands moved up to hold the back of Zuko’s head, while Zuko’s moved from his chest to the small of his back, embracing him tightly. Sokka could feel his companion’s erection pushing against his own through the layers of business casual attire. _Oh my oh my oh my this is really happening._ And then Zuko’s lips were making their way across his jaw and down his neck. 

Sokka tilted his head back as Zuko’s lips grazed his adam’s apple; he sighed as the other slipped his tongue under the puka shell choker he always wore. Sokka paused for a moment before he thought _fuck it_ and reached up to release his boss’s hair from its tightly coiled bun. Zuko froze briefly as his shining black hair cascaded past his shoulders, and then responded by pulling Sokka own small ponytail free from its hair tie in return. Their hands were in each other’s hair now, long fingers gently carding the soft strands. But as their lips locked back together, their tugs became more forceful and small yelps and groans escaped from between their mouths like a muffled choir. 

They were grinding their hips together before either one realized it. Sokka let himself become entranced, the pleasure of the moment drowning out the chatter in his brain. He slipped his fingers down to his partner’s belly, barely hesitating as he untucked the surprisingly fit man’s expensive shirt from his perfectly tailored suit pants. Zuko made no move to stop him and instead took to the urgent task of opening the ornate novelty buckle Sokka always wore. Dropping their pants in unison, they reached for one another’s cocks, straining equally beneath dissimilar undergarments. The silk of Zuko’s boxers was mesmerizing under Sokka’s fingertips and, as he rubbed his thumb over the luxurious fabric shrouding his boss’s sensitive head, he was honestly impressed that the other man hadn’t come already. 

Zuko moved a bit more urgently and as he plunged his hand into Sokka’s white briefs, Sokka was reminded that his employeer had likely been wanting this for quite some time. The younger man followed suit and soon they were stroking one another in matching rhythms. Zuko groaned unabashedly, a breathy “Sokka” the first word to escape his lips since they’d begun. That alone almost sent our hero to the edge, but he managed to squeak out a strangled “Zuko” in reply.

Another moment passed as they furiously jerked each other off. At the last moment, Zuko remembered to turn their bodies and they both ejaculated onto the tiled floor. Sokka wiped his hand on his undershirt and wordlessly invited Zuko to do the same. Zuko pressed both hands to his employee’s belly, and Sokka leaned back against the door to steady himself. Stepping forward clumsily, Zuko moved closer, pressing a final kiss to Sokka’s swollen lips. Their eyelids drifted closed and they stayed like that for innumerable moments, unwilling to let the magic of the encounter fade so abruptly. 

As the older man finally pulled away, Sokka opened his twinkling eyes, “yeah,” he breathed, “I’m definitely going to want to bring this up again.” Despite himself, Zuko grinned.


	7. Sokka Goes Home

Sokka barged into the apartment like he was being chased. Teo jumped as he swung his wheelchair around to face the door. “Spirits, Sokka, are you okay?” The newcomer’s face was flushed and his eyes were wide; his hair was down and ruffled and Teo could swear there was a bit of a sheen across his forehead. “Are you sick? Is there some kind of trouble?” He watched as Sokka’s chest heaved, despite being on the ground floor and only a few paces from the car he arrived in. 

As soon as he regained his ability to talk, Sokka lifted his hand, trying to casually wave away his roommate’s questions. “I’m okay, Teo.” _Just a little... freaked out_. He added, in the privacy of his mind. He might as well have said it though. “Bro, you look totally freaked,” Teo astutely observed. But then Sokka was giggling. At first he tried to stop it, but as he slid down the door to sit on the floor (once again), he let go, relieved by how good this second release felt. This whole situation was ridiculous. And poor Teo! He had no idea what was going on.

“Okay, okay,” Sokka started, pulling himself to standing and hanging his bag on the coat rack. “You are never going to believe what happened to me today.” He had forgotten that he had yet to tell Teo about what he heard go down between Zuko and Jet earlier in the summer. After he’d spoken to Katara, he just tried to put it out of his head and focus on Suki. _Oh shit, Suki._ He was going to hyperventilate again if he didn’t get his shit together fast. 

“Why don’t you sit down?” Teo suggested calmly, “you have all the time you need to tell me the story; I’m not going anywhere.” Sokka was so grateful for his understanding friend. He nodded and walked to the fridge to grab a beer. Opening the door, he hesitated - he was going to need full cognitive abilities in order to solve the mess he’d gotten himself into, even with Teo’s brilliant problem solving. He grabbed a carton of iced tea instead and returned to the living room, plopping down on the couch and proceeding to drink straight out of the container. 

“So, remember that benefit you had last month?” He started, “Well, I ended up working late that night...” 

~•~

“Wait, your demon boss is married? To a dude??”

~•~

“Woah, hold on. Tell me more about Jet.” Teo was clearly enjoying this too much.

~•~

“Ok, so that’s weird. Totally hot, but I see why that’d mess with your head. Anyway, that was weeks ago. And you talked it out with Katara, so what’s the big deal now?” 

“Well, today was... chapter two.”

~•~

“Oh. My. Gods. Sokka! How is this your life?!”

“I know, right?! Like, on one hand I feel like I should just enjoy it and wait to see if the opportunity ever arises again. But... he’s... married. And... Suki! Shit, I have to call her. She’s probably going to want to come over! I’m a mess. Like, I just jizzed all over my boss’ office. I literally have his cum on my hand right now.” He was basically talking to himself as he walked to the sink. 

Teo was waiting for him when he got back. “Man, you’re right; you’ve gotta talk to Suki, but I think you need to figure out what you’re gonna say first.”

“Ugh, what can I possibly say??” Sokka felt ready to melt into the floor again.

“Well, what do you want from this whole thing?”

“Honestly, I don’t really want to sell Zuko out. Oh my gods, what if he tells Jet?” He groaned, wishing he could utterly disappear.

“Do you want it to happen again?” 

“Yes. Gods yes - but not if it’s gonna mess with Suki. I like her so much. Spirits, I hardly even know anything about Zuko.”

“Other than that he wants you to fuck him.” Teo reminded him, unhelpfully, a smile evident in the sound of his voice. 

“Yes, that.” Sokka shuddered. “What I really need to do is ask her to clarify what her expectations are here. Like, we haven’t talked about being exclusive or whatever. Gosh, this sounds like a real asshole talking. But seriously, all I know is we like each other, and we’re sleeping together, and I assume she’s not sleeping with other people and I assume she assumes the same of me. Argh, I think we’re overdue for this conversation.”

“There you go; at least you have a place to start.” Teo encouraged. “Now go take a shower, you filthy slut.”

~•~ 

Sokka was all washed up and feeling a good deal more levelheaded when Suki arrived. 

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!” She rushed in to hug him. “Are you okay? What did he do to you? Do you still have a job? Do I?” Sokka smiled at her. It was easy to understand why he liked her so much. Suki was so full of care for everyone around her.

“Yes, yes, everything’s okay.” He reassured her. “We all still have jobs.” He petted her hair soothingly.

Teo had disappeared into his room, so Suki sat down on the couch while Sokka got her something to drink. “So tell me what happened,” she called towards the kitchen.

He returned and sat down on the beat up coffee table, facing her. “Suki, this is going to seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but I need to ask, what are we? I mean, to you. Like, is this an exclusive arrangement? Do you want it to be?” He took a breath to stop himself from rambling.

Suki stared at him until he started to shift uncomfortably. “Spirits, Sokka, I’ve hardly thought about it. I guess I should’ve mentioned by now, I’m polyamorous. It’s been so long that for me it’s the default; I forget sometimes that monogamy is the default for most people.” She lowered her head and her voice. “I’m so sorry. I really like you and I enjoy being with you,” she paused, “and I understand if that’s not what you’re looking for, but I don’t really do ‘exclusive.’“

_How in the world did I get so lucky?_ “It’s okay,” he replied, trying not to sound too excited, “It’s perfect.” He scooted to the couch and hugged her tight, grinning into her hair. “And while we’re here, I should probably mention I’m bi,” he offered, with an almost undetectable hesitation. 

“Oh, sure thing, me too.” Suki shrugged. 

He leaned in to kiss her hard. After a few minutes of making out, the position was getting uncomfortable. “You know what,” Sokka interrupted, “couches aren’t really doing it for us today. Let’s head to my room.” Suki was plenty happy to comply.

~•~

He walked her to the door and kissed her one last time before she left. As he closed the door behind her, she turned and yelled, “Hey you never told me what happened with Zuko!” 

But if the door was latching already, that was just inertia. Nothing much one can do to stop things when they’re already moving toward their natural end. 


	8. Zuko Goes Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko POV

Zuko was still in his office. He’d cleaned up the puddle by the door and washed a bit in the bathroom, but he wasn’t yet ready to leave. Instead, he was sitting on the floor, shoes off, running though a basic breathing meditation. What did he just do? How had he allowed that to happen? Had he abused his role and exploited Sokka’s employment? Well, it was certainly the underling’s idea, but he’d been all too eager to accommodate it. And how said underling had gotten the idea in the first place! Zuko groaned out loud. He couldn’t help it. He was mortified. Sokka knew about his deepest fantasy. It was bad enough when Jet found out he had a thing for his employee; the last few weeks he’d been teased to no end - his husband had even brought up the role play a few times when they were being intimate! But now, when he found out Sokka *heard and saw* them fucking in the office? Jet was going to kill him. 

Jet. Spirits, he was going to have to tell Jet about what had happened today. They already had an open marriage, but historically, it was always Jet participating in extra curricular activities. Between work and his emotional constraints, Zuko never had the bandwidth for it. But this, this might be something. He shook his head, _something inappropriate and impossible and a stupid, base way to have my career ripped from my hands_. Anyway, he would handle this as an adult. He got up and put his shoes back on, forming a plan of action as he left the building.

~•~

It felt like days had passed by the time Zuko got home. He closed the door softly behind him and looked up to see Jet cooking at the stove, a vape pen pursed between his lips. 

“I thought you wore the white collar in this household.” he remarked wryly. 

Zuko looked down absently; Jet knew he didn’t own even one white shirt, but he was still a lawyer. “Huh?” he grunted. 

“You look like hell,” Jet approached him smilingly, “still hot though.” And kissed him on the cheek. Zuko gently pushed him away as he tried to nibble up to his ear. 

“I’m sorry babe, I’m wrecked. Let me go get changed and I’ll set the table.” Without waiting for an answer he sulked down the hall. When he returned, Jet had already poured him a glass of red wine, which he accepted gratefully.

“You okay, sweet thing? Rough day at the office?” Jet inquired from across the table. 

“I guess you could say that,” Zuko muttered, swirling his glass and refusing to make eye contact. 

It wasn’t in Jet’s nature to be patient, but he had learned over the years that if Zuko was going to tell him anything important, he had to wait for it. So, he served the meal in silence. 

Zuko looked up at the photos Jet had hung on the wall as he finished his glass. Pictures of them from all the stages in their relationship. Pictures of Jet’s foster siblings. Even pictures of the kids at his summer camp. But mostly pictures of him and Zuko. It’s like he staked his claim as soon as Zuko had let him, and though the other man had love for lots of people, he had always made it clear his husband was his first priority. How would he react to the knowledge that his primary partner had serious attraction for another?

He poured himself another glass of wine. He took a steadying breath. Finally, Zuko spoke. “I talked with Sokka today,” he paused.

“Ah! How IS Sokka?” Jet asked, merrily, with just a hint of a smirk.

“He’s fine. He’s dating one of our paralegals.” 

“Oh, I thought you were going to tell me you finally got that dick.” He sounded almost... disappointed?

“Jet!” Zuko admonished, blushing. “...about that...”

“Oh shit!! No wonder you looked so wasted when you came in! Oh my gods, tell me all about it!” Well, that was a better reaction than Zuko could have hoped for. He opened his mouth to say something, anything to avoid a more specific line of questioning, but to both of their surprise, he burst out laughing. It wasn’t a sound Jet got to hear much and he decided right then that if Sokka had anything to do with his husband producing that melody, Jet supported it wholeheartedly. 

Regaining his breath and wiping his eyes, Zuko hesitatingly started, “I was getting ready to leave and I just wanted a cup of tea...”

~•~

“You sent her home and told him to wait in your office? Ha! You knew exactly what you were doing! ...didn’t you?”

~•~

“Fuck, he said WHAT? I didn’t think he had it in him!” Jet was clearly enjoying this too much.

“Do you understand what that means?” Zuko paused.

“Sure do.” Jet spread his feet and leaned over his empty plate, smirking. “I’m getting hard just thinking about it.” He winked, “but please, go on. Finish your story.”

~•~

“Well, you sure lead a charmed life, doncha? Was it what you expected?”

“I didn’t exactly wake up this morning and notice it on my calendar!” Zuko was exasperated, exhausted, and he’d barely touched his dinner.

Jet reached across the table and put his hand atop his lover’s. When Zuko looked up, twinkling eyes met teary ones. 

“Hey listen, this is okay. It’s going to be okay.” Jet had matured so much since the night they met at Full Moon Bar. Still able to lead in any situation, he had traded in his manipulation for empathy. Zuko was so grateful for therapy.

“I just feel like I messed up. What if I took advantage of him? What if I hurt his relationship with Suki?” He paused, gathering courage, “What if I hurt your relationship with me?”

“Babe, I love you, I have since I first saw you. A lot has changed since then, but we still stick together, and we still watch each other’s backs.” It was true, Jet and Zuko were two sides of the same coin. “If you want to pursue something with Sokka, I’m not threatened by that.” 

“Um, thank you?” He reclaimed his hand and picked up his fork to push some food around his plate.

“What do you want from this whole thing?” Jet was curious. He also understood Zuko was going to need some hand holding for his first steps into polyamory.

“I guess, ideally? More. Like, more of... Sokka... This is stupid!” He flung his hands up to cover his face. He was so tired of feeling mortified. Jet couldn’t understand. He was all smooth passion, even when he got hotheaded. Zuko? Zuko was not that. He was vulnerable all the time. Sometimes it felt like, once he had gotten his anger under control, there was nothing left but embarrassment. Sokka had surely noticed that today, when his boss mask slipped, and now Jet was reading his mind again and ugh, there were no places left to hide.

“What’s stupid?” Jet inquired gently, “wanting more sex? Or wanting more of a relationship?”

“Yes, both.” Zuko deadpanned. 

“Why?” Jet pressed on. 

“It’s just...” Zuko wasn’t sure he could say what he was thinking, but if he wanted a chance to make this work, he had to try. “There’s no way Sokka could have feelings for me, he doesn’t even know me!”

“So let him get to know you.” Jet shrugged. 

Zuko thought about that. He’d already been trying to be more friendly with all his staff. Maybe he could just continue that and wait for Sokka to show any interest? Or maybe he could actually get up the balls to try to talk to him, like normal people do? Argh, who was he kidding? “But what if he doesn’t even... like me?”

“Look, wasn’t Sokka the one to invite you to happy hour like five weeks in a row? And wasn’t he the one who suggested you hook up tonight? Maybe he isn’t in love with you, but he’s obviously hot for you. Why don’t you just see where that goes?”

“But then what?” he grumbled, “we can’t just keep jerking each other off after hours.”

“Sure you can; you’re the boss. Might as well put some of that overtime to good use.” Jet got up and clasped Zuko’s shoulder before he walked out of the room, trailing a cloud of vapor. Zuko groaned to himself as he brought the dishes to the sink, and just like that, the conversation was over.


	9. Sokka Sees Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Sorry to have left you hanging! I got distracted for like four months on a slow-burn all-the-sex-things Zukka fic. That’s done and posted so check it out, if you like. Now I’m back to focus on this one till it reaches its glorious end. Thanks for sticking around :)

A week had passed and both men were acting like nothing had happened. Suki hadn’t asked about it again, either. As Sokka walked across the office, he wondered absently if it had all been a dream. 

He gently knocked on the open door to get his boss’ attention, before entering and placing a stack of completed paperwork on his desk. Noticing that Zuko was on the phone, he gave a quiet little bow and turned to leave.

That’s when he saw it. 

On the wall, next to his computer monitor, hung a photograph: a colorful 8x10” in an ornate frame. It was an image of Zuko and Jet, in the evening, at some sort of carnival. They were dressed casually for warm weather, and there were fire dancers in the background. _That definitly wasn’t there a few days ago._ Sokka quickly averted his eyes and walked out. 

He wondered about the appearance of the photo the rest of the day. He knew it was self-centered, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Zuko was trying to tell him something. Was his boss trying to remind him he was married? Or was it part of his campaign to convince the staff he was human? Maybe he just missed the man, considering he probably spent more hours at the office than at home.

The next day, Zuko called him into his office to participate in a conference call. As soon as Sokka stepped into the room, he noticed a series of diplomas hanging behind Zuko’s chair; a totally reasonable office decoration, perhaps most curious in it’s former absence.

As Sokka pretended to pay attention to the call, he read every certificate in full. Bachelors degree in political science from Caldera State College. _Makes sense._ Juris Doctorate from Omashu School of Law. _Everyone already knew that._ Black belt in Taikwondo. _Nice_. And Karate. _Seriously?_ And Jiu Jitsu. _Wait, what?_ Volunteer of the month at Agni’s Animal Rescue. _Okay..._ A clearly homemade certificate for getting all the gold medals in PokémonGo. _Umm..._

“Is that your conclusion, Sokka?”

His attention was ripped away from the wall.

“I’m sorry?” he squeaked out.

“Do you agree with the plaintiff’s timeline?” the voice on the phone restated the question.

He searched his boss’ face for the answer, trying to remember what case they were talking about. All he found there was a hint of a smile.

“Yes,” Zuko answered for him, “that is our position.”

The call ended and Sokka retreated to his desk, dumbfounded. 

~•~

It was Friday again, and what a week it had been. Since the arrival of the diplomas, the staff was abuzz with the addition of a dragon-shaped incense burner, a Polaroid picture of a boy and girl at the beach with (presumably) their mother, and a “campfire” fragranced candle. 

“What’s his angle here?” Sokka wondered aloud in the crowded break room. “I think he’s trying to convince us he’s a real person.” He shuddered, but it was mostly just for show.

“Three black belts,” Suki muttered under her breath. She seemed impressed.

“All the gold medals,” TyLee muttered, equally impressed.

“Well, I think it’s great that he’s comfortable sharing more of himself at work!” chirped Aang.

“But why now?” Sokka asked skeptically, mostly to himself.

“Maybe you guys are finally starting to meet his standards,” suggested Toph, “or maybe this is his ploy to get you all to like him so you work even harder.”

“Mmm,” Sokka agreed, “fear AND love. Classic strategy.”

They all looked at him like he was a little crazy, before returning to their cubicles. 

His pomodoro timer dinged just as he finished drafting a case brief. He took some water and checked his emails. 

_S-  
_ _Would you and Suki like to come out to dinner with me and Jet, tomorrow night? The owner of Gaipan Buffet owes Jet a favor. I think he’s inviting his sister and brother.  
_ _-Z_

Well that was... unexpected. He forwarded it to Suki with the message, _rare oppy to see the dragon in its natural habitat. You in?_

Her response came back almost immediately: _of course._

So before Sokka took his scheduled bathroom break he fired off a reply: 

_Z-  
_ _Thank you for the invitation. Suki and I would be delighted to join you and your husband for dinner tomorrow night at Gaipan. What time?  
_ _-S_

He reread it and almost cringed at the formality and repetitiveness, but it read exactly like a work email. Mirrored the greeting and closing his boss had used. Restated the details to confirm. Just a perfectly normal work email. 

So why was his gut fluttering when he hit Send?

~•~

They were a couple minutes early and Sokka was fidgeting in the driver’s seat, alternatingly crumpling an old receipt and smoothing it flat on his knee. Suki sat next to him, paging through his ancient CD holder thingy. She was giggling about something or other, probably teasing him for his taste in music, but he was faraway in his own mind. 

“Hello?” she asked (again?),

“Oh, sorry; what’s up?” he answered. 

“What’s with you tonight? You seem like you’re in your own world right now.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just...” no reason not to be honest.

“Nervous?” she offered.

“...nervous.” He agreed.

“What’s that all about?”

“I think it’s Jet. He puts me on edge.”

“Hmm.” She was listening, waiting to see if he wanted to continue. He didn’t. 

“Well, I think it’ll be fun. He’s bringing his siblings, right? So it’s not exactly a double date or anything. Anyway, this whole thing is probably just part of Zuko’s plan to warm us up to him, for whatever reason.” She nudged him and smiled. It put Sokka at ease. 

He’d been worried that one of the other men might say something about what had gone down between him and Zuko, in front of Suki. But that was ridiculous. Surely they all had a bit more self preservation than that. And she was right, things couldn’t get too awkward with the siblings there. Right?

He wondered for the hundredth time if he should explain to her what happened that evening. It hadn’t seemed like such a conversation would be necessary when she confirmed they weren’t exclusive, especially if it were a one time thing. But if Zuko really had been trying to open up to him through his decor choices, maybe he was interested in something more. And if Zuko was interested in something more... maybe Sokka was too. 

“Okay, well we better head in. We’re not even early anymore.” She said it gently, but Sokka felt like she might be growing tired of his pensive mood. No matter, he was the meat and sarcasm guy, at a free buffet! Surely he could put on a smile and get through the night unscathed.


	10. Sokka Goes to Dinner

Zuko and Jet were already at the table when they walked in. Sokka could see there were two other young adults seated with them, most likely Jet’s siblings. He waved off the hostess as he took Suki’s hand and made his way across the dining room. 

“Oh hey, Sokka. Suki.” Of course Jet was the first to notice them. 

“Hi Jet, Zuko,” the newcomers replied in unison. 

“This is my sister and brother, Bee and Lon.”

“Nice tameetcha,” Bee greeted. 

Lon nodded in a reserved-but-friendly way.

“Cool. I’m Sokka and this is my girlfriend, Suki. We work with Zuko.” _With, not for? Interesting choice of words_ , Sokka thought to himself.

“Thanks for coming, guys.” Zuko said. 

“Thanks for inviting us!” said Suki.

Then they all just sort of sat there for a minute. Bee and Lon were making eyes at each other. Sokka and Suki were doing the same. Zuko refused to meet anyone’s gaze and Jet sat back and watched them all with a grin. 

Suddenly his voice startled Sokka. “Excellent idea, Lon, let’s go get some food.” Both men pushed their chairs back simultaneously and approached the salad section. Bee scrambled to catch up, a wild smile on her young face. 

“I’ve heard they have a great salad bar,” Suki commented, getting up to join them. 

Sokka stayed in his seat, not as enthusiastic about iceberg lettuce and unpeeled cucumbers. He glanced at Zuko and caught him already looking in his direction. The energy at the table shifted and Sokka felt the urge to utilize this relative privacy, even if they only had it for a moment.

“Noticed your new office decor.”

His boss just looked at him like he had no idea how to respond. 

“I’m going to go get some salad,” Zuko said and got up. 

_Okay, well that was awkward_. Sokka took out his phone and sent a text to Teo before the rest of their party returned to the table.

He watched as Suki and Bee walked back to the table, chatting like cousins at a family reunion. He was a little envious that his girlfriend seemed to be able to fit in anywhere. 

Looking at Jet, Bee asked, “how’s Jin?” around a mouthful of seaweed salad. “Are you still seeing her?”

“Naw, she’s cute but ends up she assumed Zuko and I were a package deal and you know he’s not down for that, like at all, so we called it quits before anyone got more invested.“

“Before you got more attached, you mean.” Zuko muttered, as he sliced his cherry tomatoes. 

“What can I say? It’s hard for me to take a hint.” Jet shrugged. Sokka was spellbound. _Jet was dating?? Like, currently? While being married to Zuko? Did that mean Zuko could..._

“Aw,” Bee pouted, “she said she was gonna film some lines for me once she got her new cruiser board.”

“Well sis, you can still call her.”

“Wait,” Suki asked, “you skate?”

“Do I ever!” Lon looked at his sister like he was reminding her not to boast. “My friends and I hang out down by District Park.”

“Cool, cool,” Suki nodded, “I used to skate, but I’m into flat track derby now.”

Bee looked like she was about to burst. “I used to be friends with a girl who jammed with the Dirt Devils!”

“I’m in that same league. I play for the Kyoshi Warriors,” Suki replied. 

Sokka sat beaming at her. 

“I did not know that about you,” Zuko admitted. 

“I get the feeling,” Sokka interrupted, smiling, “that there’s a lot you don’t know about your co-workers.” 

Zuko met his eyes, then averted his gaze. “Probably,” he admitted. 

That moment of eye contact, though, sent Sokka’s head swimming and he felt himself smiling even more. He turned his head back to Suki, but as his eyes swept past Jet, he noticed an all-knowing look on his face. 

He didn’t let himself think about what that look meant. 

Instead, when the server appeared to refill drinks and clear plates, Sokka got up to go check out the carving table. Suki, bless her heart, followed closely behind.

“See, I told you it would be fun! How sweet is Bee?? I feel like she’s just like me, like ten years ago.” Suki chattered on, as they approached the hot bar.

“And Jet’s being well behaved. Can you believe they’re in an open relationship? I guess it really is time for the world to wake up to the harms of compulsive monogamy.” 

She wasn’t wrong. 

“Do you think that’s what it is?” Sokka hedged. 

“Well, sure seems like! I suppose Jet could be polyam and Zuko’s mono, we can’t really know for sure; I’ve heard of a couple that works that way. Seems kinda imbalanced but hey, who am I to judge?” she rambled. 

“Zuko seems to um, appreciate balance,” Sokka suggested, “based on all the martial arts, I mean.”

Why was he so hesitant to share his attraction to their boss with his girlfriend, considering the circumstances? _Well, this is certainly not the time for THAT conversation_ , he reminded himself. But he suspected they were going to have to talk about it, sooner or later. _Probably sooner._

“True; I wonder if he’s dating. Sounds like he’s fully gay; wonder what his type is?” Suki seemed to be thinking aloud as she served herself, but Sokka almost choked on the piece of sweet and sour pork he’d stolen from under the heat lamp. _Yeah, wonder if his type is just like yours._ But that wasn’t quite right, somehow. 

They made their way back to the table as the others performed the ritual of the self-serve buffett. 

The group continued through the evening with small talk and plates upon plates of tiny portions of various foods. By the end of it, when Bee invited Suki to the parking lot to check out her board, and Lon went with them, ‘cause it was in his car, and Jet had gone into the kitchen to talk with the chef, Sokka noticed Zuko seemed a lot more comfortable making conversation. 

“Wanna get some ice cream?” Sokka invited him to the chest freezer in the corner. 

“Sorry, I don’t think they serve milkshakes here.” Zuko responded, an obvious reference to that first night at the bar. 

“No liquor license either, but we know how to make do,” Sokka smiled. 

They sat back down, Zuko with his dish of green tea and Sokka opting for the red bean, eating in silence with tiny spoons. 

“So, Bee and Lon seem nice.” 

“Yeah, they don’t get out much,” Zuko hesitated, like he wasn’t sure that was a kind thing to say. “But who am I to talk, right? Jet loves them.”

“Bee seems to really be hitting it off with Suki.” Sokka observed. 

“She doesn’t have many girlfriends.” Zuko offered. 

“Oh, practically ALL of Suki’s friends are girls.”

“Well, I’m glad they found some common ground tonight.”

“Yeah, common ground,” Sokka pondered, almost under his breath. 

Beat. 

“So, you noticed the new decorations.” Zuko stated, and Sokka wasn’t sure if it was a question. 

“Mmhmm. Three black belts. Suki was very impressed.”

“And the others?”

The younger man was not sure what his boss meant, but he was determined not to let the volley fall. “Ty Lee was awestruck by the Pokémon certificate,” he finally offered. 

Zuko chuckled. “Jet made that. I told him it was ridiculous, but he insisted it was an honorable achievement.” 

Sokka relaxed at the admission. “I think my favorite was the pic of the two of you. I’ve never really had the opportunity to see you outside of work till tonight.” Was Zuko blushing? Sokka pressed on. “I kinda thought you were like the school teacher who lived in their classroom and slept under the desk,” he joked. 

“I get the feeling,” Zuko looked up into Sokka’s eyes, “that there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Sokka almost fainted when Zuko added: “Yet.”


	11. Sokka Talks With Suki

“You seem to be in a much better mood than before.” Suki observed, once they were back in the car. 

“I am! Wanna go to the wine bar? It’s too early to head home.” Sokka was wired. 

“Sure! Should I call Ty Lee and some of the other girls to meet us?”

Sokka hesitated. “Can it be just us?” he asked, “I’ve had enough of other people’s company tonight.” He slowed for a red light and leaned over to kiss her. 

“Of course, babe.” Suki wove her fingers through his and sat back, smiling. 

The wine bar was busy, yet reasonably subdued. There was a crowd around the acoustic trio playing in the corner by the entrance, but there were empty tables in the back. The couple found their way to one of those. Sokka had a feeling he was going to get lubricated enough to have the conversation he’d been putting off, and wanted to make sure they would be able to actually hear each other. 

They ordered a glass each and a charcuterie plate to share. Suki chatted until the server returned and left, while Sokka divided his attention between her words, the music, and trying to come up with a good way to spit out all the things he needed to say. 

“So, what’s this date really about? You never don’t want to hang out with Ty Lee.” Suki chided, playfully. 

Sokka feigned innocence, “meeee?! _She’s_ the one who thinks _I’m_ cute!”

“Yeah, that’s why you like hanging out with her so much,” Suki said matter-of-factly, into her wine glass.

“Ty Lee is NOT the one you need to worry about,” Sokka muttered and gulped his own wine.

“I’m not worried about anyone,” (Suki sat back and swirled her glass, looking at it like it held some kind of secret.) “but now you’ve GOT to tell me what’s been going on in that hollow head of yours.”

“Okay, I don’t really know how to say this so I guess I’m gonna come right out and say it but I think I have a teeny tiny crush on Zuko.” He winced like the admission caused him physical pain, and buried his face in his hands. 

“I could see it. What do you like about him? The mystery? The chase? The power dynamic?”

“What? No! I think he’s just, um, very attractive,” Sokka tried to explain, “and, intense? I’m not sure that’s the word for it...”

“That’s definitely the word for it,” Suki laughed, flicking an olive into her boyfriend’s hair. 

“Hey!” He looked up to find her smiling.

“What am I going to d-“

“What are you going to do?”

They asked, simultaneously. 

“Well, I don’t know,” Sokka began to roll thin slices of cured meat into tight tubes as he answered. “I didn’t think I was going to do anything other than try not to think about it. But now... do you really think they’re non-monogamous?”

“Babe, it seems pretty obvious to me but you’re right, one should never assume.” She paused. “I could always just ask him.”

“Don’t you dare! I mean, I couldn’t ask that of you. I do my own dirty work, thankyouverymuch. Anyway, he would know you were scoping him out for me.”

Suki arched a perfectly penciled eyebrow at that. “How? Do you think he knows how you feel?”

Sokka had to physically restrain himself from putting his fist between his teeth.

“Maybe, I mean, who knows, ya know?” He bit the prosciutto instead. 

“Sokkaaa,” Suki threatened. 

“Okay, yeah, so we kinda talked about it a couple of weeks ago. After, you know, when he sent you home?” He winced. 

“Sokka!”

“I’m sorry! I realized afterward that I should have told you everything, but then I didn’t know how to bring it up and I kept trying to convince myself it was no big deal-“ he was going to start hyperventilating. 

“Babe, take a breath. Relax. It’s okay. I’m on your team.” She captured his flailing hands and pinned them to the table. “You can tell me as much or as little as you’d like.”

He breathed. “Ah, can I go with “little”? For now? If that’s okay...”

“It’s fine. Totally okay. Just let me know how I can help; I hate to see you so conflicted.”

“I think I want to, like, move forward, but there’s so much on the line!”

“Like what?” she guided. 

“Like, my job?! And, us - you and me?”

“Well, yeah, the office could get a little weird, but you said you guys already talked about it. So, if it was going to be a problem, I think you’d know that already. May I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

Suki grinned. “Does he like you back?”

“Um, I think so? He’s um, indicated he’d like us to get to know each other better.”

“Sokka! That’s a good sign!” she shrieked. 

_How is she so excited about this?_ Sokka wondered. 

“Suki? Are you really okay with this? Like, if Zuko and I got together, or something?”

“Listen, babe, every relationship I’ve been in has been open. Almost every partner I’ve had has had other partners at some point. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told you I sometimes forget monogamy is a thing.”

Sokka pondered that as he finished his glass. “So, you’re basically a pro.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Can I be your intern? Your apprentice? Your indentured servant?”

“Whoa, that brings us into a-whole-nother territory, if ya know what I mean.”

Sokka didn’t know what she meant. 

“I just, I just don’t know how to do this,” Sokka pouted. 

“Look,” Suki started, “we date right? And we sleep together. And we work together. And we’re friends, too. All those things are like, components of our special relationship. But in a way, they’re separate from each other. We could stop doing one of those things and still carry on with most of the rest, I think.”

Sokka was trying really hard to understand.

“What I’m saying is,” breath “me being your girlfriend doesn’t have anything to do with you being Zuko’s boyfriend. Or whatever. When we talk about that stuff, I’m in my ‘friend’ role, or maybe my ‘coworker’ role. It doesn’t affect my ‘partner’ role. As long as you’re being safe and I’m getting the time and attention I need from you, I _want_ you to have other relationships. Crushes are fun; I’m happy for you.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense.” Sokka paused. “I like that.”

“So, the question of how you seduce your boss isn’t inherently a polyam one. But it’s still complicated, huh?”

“To say the least.”

“Well, I’m here to listen, and I can try to come up with some advice if that’s what you need.”

“Thank you. Honestly, I think the next step is just to talk to him; try to get on the same page.”

“That’s a good idea,” she nodded. 

“Alright,” Sokka emptied his glass. “Now how do you feel about second dessert?”


End file.
